Advocacy & Public Commentary

The important contribution that creative arts disciplines make to innovation, education and society is not always well understood. The DDCA advocates on behalf of its members to advance the creative arts in the higher education sector and, more broadly, for the role of the creative arts in society.

Our advocacy includes making submissions to government consultations and reviews; representation of DDCA at invited conferences and events; and through media articles and social media coverage.

DDCA Advocacy

DDCA's submission responded to the invitation issued by the Australian Research Council for comments on its Consultation Paper. The submission reinforced support for the principle that measures of research engagement and impact be sensitive to a range of research types and highlighted the lack of data related to creative arts research impact and engagement in current university data collection processes.

DDCA submission to Securing Australia’s Future- Research training system review by the Australian Council of Learned Academies ( ACOLA) (2015)

DDCA’s submission responded to the response format to the discussion paper released by ACOLA. Key issues highlighted in DDCA’s submission included: the portfolio career and professional nature of research students in creative art disciplines; the gaps in current university graduate review and support systems and reforms needed to equitably encompass graduate training in creative arts disciplines.

DDCA submission to the Review of Research Policy and funding arrangements (2015)

DDCA’s submission responded to the response format to the discussion paper released by the Commonwealth Government. Key issues raised in the DDCA submission included the contribution that creative arts research makes to the cultural industry, to innovation in industry more broadly and the need to support creative responses to improve innovation

Despite the influence of the Strand Report (1998), which paved the way for consideration of select creative arts activities as ‘non-traditional research outputs’, the status, aims, methods and values of creative arts departments in Australia today vary widely.

"Why, when the rest of the world is unleashing the creative potential of young people to generate new cultures and industries and a better understanding of our world, is the University of Sydney selling off its highly esteemed art school to its major competitor?"

'The reinvigorated Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA) has produced it’s first online “space for views and news in the tertiary creative arts community. Our first edition focuses on the changing higher education landscape as we ask: Watt’s next for creative arts?” It’s called NiTRO and contributors include Monash’s Margaret Gardner, VCA’s Su Baker and ... yours truly.'

'The AAWP is delighted to announce that it will be joining the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA) as an organisational member. AAWP President Lynda Hawryluk has contributed a short piece to the DDCA’s inaugural interactive component, NiTRO.'

'In March 2015, the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA) conducted a three-day symposium in Melbourne entitled “The Outstanding Field: Artistic Research Emerging from the Academy”. This symposium[...] presented a showcase of twenty six exemplary Australian and New Zealand practice-led PhD projects from the past decade.'